Due to the prolonged and problematic course of therapy and the high probability of relapses, there is reasonable doubt about the cure of chronic prostatitis. There is no clear answer to this question.
The disease detected in the early stages is completely cured in 90% of cases, but with the development of irreversible pathological changes, the prognosis for treatment worsens. With advanced prostatitis it is possible to achieve stable remission.
Which treatment is used: outpatient or inpatient?
The treatment algorithm for chronic prostatitis involves the appointment of physiotherapy and constant use of medications for 2-3 months. Hospital treatment is prescribed for the following indications:
- An acute form of the disease, manifested by a high temperature above 38°.
- The occurrence of complications due to serious diseases.
- Lack of results from home therapy.
If the disease becomes latent, the patient is usually discharged from the hospital and further treatment occurs on an outpatient basis. Advantage of hospitalization:
- Constant monitoring of nursing staff.
- Ability to provide emergency care and pain relief.
- No temptation to violate recommendations regarding diet and bad habits.
- The course of therapy is constantly adjusted, depending on its effectiveness.
Hospitalization has several disadvantages: the high cost of treatment (in paid clinics), the stress experienced by a man who finds himself in a hospital environment.
The clinic allows the patient not to detach from his usual environment, to engage in daily activities and carry out work (obviously without leaving home). Another advantage of home therapy is that it is relatively inexpensive.
The decision on how the therapy will be carried out depends on the treating doctor. Based on individual indications, therapy can be started at home. In this case, the patient should be given detailed step-by-step treatment, indicating the need for regular visits to the doctor and undergoing physical procedures.
How long does it take to cure chronic prostatitis?
The duration of treatment is individual. Some patients recover from the disease in a few months, others must be treated for years.
Several factors influence the speed of recovery:
- Stage of the disease— chronic prostatitis in the early stages of development is often discovered by chance, during an annual examination of the patient. At this stage, serious pathological changes occur in the body that require long-term therapy.
- The role of the patient- the desire to improve, careful adherence to therapeutic advice, abandonment of bad habits (smoking and alcohol), reduction of the duration of therapy and improvement of the prognosis.
- Individual characteristics- statistics indicate that 80-90% of patients who received help in the early stages of a chronic disease managed to completely get rid of the disease. After the transition from the latent form to the acute form, with pronounced symptoms, the success rate of therapy is drastically reduced to 65-70%.
The longer you wait to see a doctor, the more likely it is that conventional complex treatment will not have the desired effect and surgery will be necessary.
Chronic prostatitis in some forms can develop into prostate cancer. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are a necessary condition for preventing cancer.
Is a complete recovery possible?
You can completely get rid of prostatitis in the early stages of the disease. If the inflammatory process has become acute, characteristic irreversible changes in the vas deferens and tissue structure are usually observed.
Once clinical symptoms appear, it becomes impossible to completely cure chronic inflammation of the prostate. Therapy is aimed at achieving a stable remission.
After acute inflammation is relieved, preventive preventive measures are prescribed. If drug therapy does not give results, partial or complete surgical removal of the prostate gland is performed.
Over the years of research, general international recommendations for the treatment of chronic prostatitis have been developed, which have significantly increased the recovery rate among patients. The probability of complete recovery is between 50 and 65%, while achieving stable remission is 65-80%, depending on the severity of the disease.
Treatment methods for chronic inflammation of the prostate
Many articles on the Internet and medical reference books are devoted to how to treat chronic prostatitis. Most sources agree that there is no single effective remedy to combat the disease; complex therapy is required, including:
- A course of drugs.
- Non-pharmacological treatment.
- Physiotherapy.
- Surgery.
- Massage.
A clinically proven treatment regimen for chronic prostatitis aims to overcome several negative manifestations of the disease:
- Removal of the inflammatory process.
- Elimination of congestion and normalization of blood circulation in the pelvic organs.
- Elimination of catalysts of the inflammatory process.
- Fighting the consequences of prostatitis.
- Prevent recurrence of the disease.
Complex treatment of chronic prostatitis aims to overcome all the listed negative manifestations and is therefore more effective than monotherapy. The effectiveness of the approach largely depends on the patient's desire to recover, which is manifested in careful observance of all recommendations of the attending physician. Another factor that contributes to the complete recovery of the patient is contact with large clinics. Medical centers use modern methods for the effective treatment of chronic inflammation of the prostate, which are carried out under the guidance of experienced medical personnel.
The modern standard for combating the inflammatory process is pathogenic therapy. The essence of the principle is to develop an individual course based on the patient's characteristics.
How to deal with medications
Having diagnosed chronic prostatitis, a man will have to be patient, since the treatment regimen involves taking the drugs for a long period of time. Success in the fight against the disease depends on careful compliance with the prescribed treatment program.
The duration of treatment for chronic prostatitis varies from several months to six months. It is forbidden to stop taking the drugs yourself when you feel better, as this can cause a stable form of the disease.
The standard of treatment involves the prescription of the following drugs:
- Antispasmodics and analgesics— from the beginning and almost until the end of treatment, the disease is accompanied by severe pain associated with swelling of the gland. If symptoms cannot be reduced, further anesthetic injections are recommended.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs— suppositories containing a substance from the group of phenylacetic acid derivatives are recommended. The use of rectal suppositories is effective due to the almost direct effect of the active components on the prostate tissue.
The phenylacetic acid derivative is absorbed into the blood through the rectum and quickly relieves the symptoms associated with the disease. Anti-inflammatory therapy involves the prescription of corticosteroids and NSAIDs. - Antiviral and antibacterial agents.Treatment standards prescribe the use of antibiotics in two cases. A course of therapy is necessary in the presence of an infectious catalyst factor that caused the inflammation, as well as as a preventive measure before surgical treatment.
To increase the effectiveness of drugs, lymphotropic therapy is performed. Antibiotics are injected into the lymph nodes, blocking venous outflow and draining the bladder. Instillation (direct injection of an antibiotic into the bladder) is performed.
In the later stages of the disease, a conservative treatment method is used. Regular use of drugs (alpha-blockers and NSAIDs) necessary to reduce the growth rate of the prostate and reduce unpleasant symptoms. Simultaneously with the course of drugs, non-pharmacological and physical therapies are performed.
Non-pharmacological therapy
Advanced world experience convincingly demonstrates the effectiveness of an integrated approach to the treatment of chronic prostatitis. Simultaneously with taking medications, the patient is prescribed new methods of non-drug therapy. Between them:
- Microwave hyperthermia- Prostate tissue is exposed to high temperatures. The thermal energy source is delivered to the prostate using the transrectal method. Microwave therapy promotes better drug effects and preserves prostate growth.
- Shock wave therapy.The consequence of chronic prostatitis is the appearance of irregularities in the soft tissues of the gland. The seals are destroyed by the shockwave. The consequence of the procedure is the removal of the inflammatory process and improvement of blood supply.
The use of shock wave therapy in complex treatment reduces the patient's hospitalization period and increases the effectiveness of taking medications. - Laser therapy for chronic inflammation of the prostate— the effect is based on the treatment of the gland with narrowly directed rays of light. Laser treatment leads to an increase in the lumen of blood vessels, an improvement in tissue metabolism and, as a consequence, resorption of the tumor. Another positive effect is the accelerated regeneration of damaged tissues.
- Ultrasound applications— the intense vibrations of the waves emitted cause tissue regeneration, improve trophism and metabolic processes. Ultrasonic treatment devices are so easy to use that you can purchase them for home use. The device kills parasites and has a bactericidal effect.
Non-drug therapy methods are prescribed individually, taking into account the presence of contraindications for the patient.
Physiotherapy approach
Innovative methods for treating chronic prostatitis are often combined with time-tested methods. Physiotherapy has a beneficial effect.
The purpose of the procedures has several purposes:
- Increases blood flow.
- Establish metabolic processes in the body.
- Reduce areas of inflammation.
- Accelerates lymphatic flow to remove pathogens from the prostate gland.
- Stimulate the immune system and activate the body's forces to fight disease.
The physiotherapy approach is used in the largest medical centers around the world. In Israeli hospitals, after completing a course of therapy, sanatorium treatment on the shores of the Dead Sea is mandatory.
Rapid improvement in well-being is achieved by completing the following physiotherapy cycles:
- Phonophoresis— the technique boils down to the introduction of vitamins and drugs into the tissues of the skin and prostate through the influence of ultrasound. It has a positive effect on the body on a mechanical and chemical level, and the effect of drugs is enhanced.
- Reflexology— the term refers to a whole system of practices based on impact on human biologically active points. Other names for the technique: acupuncture, acupuncture.
During the session the effect on the nerve endings leads to an improvement in the statics of the gland, the normalization of blood circulation and the reduction of pain. - Vacuum treatment (cans)— many experts agree that disorders in the functioning of internal organs cause pathologies of the spine. The technique is effective in fighting congestion, after 1-2 sessions the functioning of the prostate gland noticeably improves and urination normalizes.
- Electrical stimulators— the procedure is effective in treating any form of prostatitis, improves erection and activates the immune system. The use of electrical stimulation lasts 10-15 days.
During the session, a source of electrical current is delivered to the prostate via the prostate gland. The waves influence the prostate, bones and muscle tissue, stimulating their work.
Physiotherapy does not replace drug treatment during a flare-up, but rather promotes the effectiveness of prescribed medications, speeding up a man's recovery.
Surgery for chronic prostatitis
If the course of treatment for chronic prostatitis does not produce results, a steady progression of the disease is observed and surgical intervention is prescribed. Several methods have been developed:
- Prostatectomy.
- Prostate resection.
- Laser removal.
- Laparoscopy.
The choice of surgical intervention depends on several factors: the age of the patient, the invasiveness of the method, the presence of contraindications and the volume of the prostate gland.
The latest technologies for performing operations are associated with the absence of the need for dissection of abdominal tissue. Removal of the prostate occurs through the urethral canal or several small holes in the abdominal region.
Laser prostate removal is widely used. The high intensity light beam vaporizes the glandular tissue, causing a decrease in the volume of the prostate.
The main feature of modern surgical treatment is minimal damage to the human body, which leads to a reduction in rehabilitation time and rapid recovery with the complete restoration of all basic functions of the genitourinary system.
Due to the high risks in old age, after 60-65 years, surgical treatment is practically not performed. Therapy boils down to relieving the symptoms of prostatitis and improving the condition and quality of life.
Massage treatment
Clinical recommendations for the treatment of prostatitis are reduced to the need for digital transrectal massage of the gland. During the tactile effect on the tissue, the areas are massaged, which helps to improve blood supply and relieve pain.
The main task of massage remains the squeezing of glandular stones containing inflammatory exudate.
Contraindications to prostate massage:
- Cystitis during exacerbation.
- Hemorrhoids.
- Acute prostatitis.
Treatment reviews show that the first prostate massage procedures are quite painful, but bring great relief. The massage is performed exclusively by a specialist. Prescribed during the recovery period after drug treatment.
Prevention of relapses of chronic prostatitis
Modern approaches to the treatment of chronic prostatitis consist not so much in the fight against inflammation of the prostate, but in the use of effective preventive measures to prevent relapse of the disease.
Prevention of the return of prostatitis includes:
- Transrectal digital massage is performed annually.
- Diet and lifestyle adjustments. General recommendation, prepare a diet similar to the Mediterranean diet or treatment table no. 5.
- Carry out complex anti-relapse therapy. The course of treatment includes drugs and procedures aimed at eliminating congestion in the pelvic organs, as well as strengthening the immune system. Recommended sports: yoga, physical therapy.
The anti-relapse treatment protocol includes regular visits to a doctor, mandatory clinical blood and urine tests and PSA tests at least every 6 months.
A healthy lifestyle, regular sexual intercourse, giving up alcohol and smoking - all this prevents the return of prostatitis, has a beneficial effect on men's health and allows you to lead a rich and fulfilling life.